Fabulous 5 Foods in Kuching

FABULOUS 5 FOODS IN KUCHING

1. Zuliana Johaini                                  - SW161002547
2. Nurhalida Binti Mustapha               - SW161002314
3. Stephanie Marsella  ak Noyes        - SW161002282
4. Valerie James                                    - SW161002445
5. Robecca Saie ak Paya                       - SW170103835





Malaysia is known for many things, one of the most legendary ones is food. Malaysia, situated in South East Asia, has been home to many different cultures, example like Kuching’s Sarawak. In Kuching, most of people like to taste many types of famous foods such as Sarawak Laksa, Manok Panggang Madu, Mee Kolok, Asam Siok and Pekasam.

1.  Sarawak Laksa / Laksa Sarawak

Sarawak Laksa originates from the Malaysian state of Sarawak on the Borneo Island. It is a popular local dish. A trip to Sarawak especially in Kuching is never complete without indulging in a bowl of this soup noodle.

Sarawak Laksa comes from the Malaysian state of Sarawak, on the island of Borneo. The prime ingredient is a paste made from a wide range of ingredients. It has a soup-base of sambal belacan, which contributes to its crimson coloring, adding coconut milk and sour tamarind, garlic, galangal, lemon grass, topped with omelette strips, chicken strips, peeled boiled prawns, freshly chopped coriander leaves, and optionally lime. Ingredients such as bean sprouts, (sliced) fried tofu or other seafood are not traditional but are sometimes added. Sarawak Laksa so popular and become favourite of people because of the taste that originally made. The taste of belacan makes the laksa more delicious.

Sarawak laksa is also commonly found in neighboring Borneo states of Sabah and Brunei, and as a result some might be led to believe that there are distinct Sabah and Brunei laksa recipes, although it is actually identical to Sarawak laksa.

2.  Manok Panggang Madu

Manok Panggang Madu is Honey Chicken Grilled. Look so easy in its ingredients but must be careful if you want to roast it with high fire! Mostly you can see the seller grill the chicken in a whole of chicken or part of chicken wings. The taste is very delicious, sticky and full with the spices. Anyone who comes to Kuching can get this at De’Tamu Restaurant, Satok. I got mine in here! Yet you must to queue long but trust me there will no longer for you to wait! The owner has been selling their chicken grill here almost 10 years in counting. So why shall we worry the taste? They’ve been 10 years guys! Here are the pictures when I was here. Check it out!

3.  Kolok Mee

          As we know, in Sarawak there are many places that have kolok mee. Kolok mee is one of the foods that chinese people owned when they come to Sarawak. Many place they kolok mee not same. In sibu, citizen there call ‘Kampua noodles’ and in Kuching or other city call ‘Kolok mee’. Kolok mee (also spelled out kolo noodle), dry noodle or noodle rangkai (from word Iban rangkai, mean "dry") is a type of noodle that enough popular in Sarawak. Most stall around Kuching had provide or selling kolok mee. Kolok mee usually will be serving with soup and sauce. For those who is first time try kolok mee of course you will feel it special and well because yee mee usage and mixed with sliced meat or chicken boiled in advance is appetizing.

Besides that, Kolok mee is distinguished from other Asian noodle dish recipes. The difference between Kolok Mee and Wantan Mee, which is popular in the Peninsular Malaysia, is that Kolok Mee is not drenched in dark soy sauce and water is not added to the noodles when served.

Kolok mee comes in two common flavours: plain or seasoned with red sauce (cooks tend to seasoned kolok mee with red sauce. Kolok mee usually served with soup and soy sauce, to give the dish a darker appearance and enhance its saltiness. Second, Kolok mee noodles are springier than wantan noodles and it does not come drenched in dark sauce. The noodles came with a generous filling of minced meat. The kolok mee is topped with spring onion and fried onion, giving the dish a sweet crunchiness. Kolok mee have different taste and different ingredient which have halal and non halal type.

 Kolok mee halal type is kolok mee sapi, chicken kolok mee, kolok mee meat and special kolok mee (meat, chicken, sapi and vegetables). Halal kolok mee they only provide plain and soy sauce. But, non halal kolok mee have many types which is BBQ pork kolok mee, special kolok mee (fish ball and BBQ pork). Non halal kolok mee have three types which is plain, soy sauce and red sauce. Most delicious is red sauce kolok mee.

Not least but not last, all people in Sarawak love to eats mee kolok especially Kuching people. Not only chinese, Iban likes to eat but Malays also likes to eats. Even that, not alls ingredients is same because there have halal and non halal foods and the taste also not same. Different people cook different taste. If there have any people want to try mee kolok can come to Kuching and taste it by them.

Kolok Mee (Halal) - Pork

                                                     

Kolok Mee (Halal)- Sapi / Meat

4.  “Asam Siok” / Bamboo Chicken Rice

“Asam Siok” is a Bidayuh tradisional delicacy that being served normally only on special event such as Gawai Dayak, Christmas, and any other special occasions.

It is chicken rice that cooked in Bamboo over burning charcoal.

        The reason why I think this dishes are so special because its taste totally different from normal chicken rice that we normally find and eat in restaurants or food stalls. Moreover, this cuisine is rarely to be found so I decided to put this special rare cuisine in this fabulous 5 food list. Thus, this food will get more attention especially the food hunters.

The delightful combination of whole chicken, steam rice, salt, ginger, lemon grass, tapioca leaves and small amount of water to boil in the bamboo produce the unique fragrance and taste. It just like ‘when you smell the fragrance and taste this bamboo chicken rice, you will remember Bidayuh’s. 

Asam Siok

Food of Sarawak is one of the highlight of the state. The state is not only famous for its natural wonders and rich cultural heritage, but it is also a gourmet’s paradise. Today, let’s explore the Bidayuhs’ special cuisines which are delicious and tasty.

5.  Pekasam

Pekasam is a well-known and long-standing traditional food ingredient in Malaysia especially in Kuching. It is a way to preserve food (usually fish) by using a large amount of salt (or acid) and is able to produce a long-lasting shellfish (between 6 - 1000 years old). Pekasam is very famous around Sarawak people. It was a fermented food and can be divide by four type of Pekasam that is pekasam ikan, pekasam daging, pekasam pucuk ubi dan pekasam ensabi.

This food is one of the most ancient food, and yet still can be found in many Bidayuh households in Borneo Sarawak nowadays. Pekasam Ikan, which went through fermentation process using life bacteria, can last for a long time and can be eaten throughout the year. The freshwater fishes used were normally caught during monsoon season, and preserved in bulk for storage.

However, for the type of kasam daging, kasam can be kept for months if prepared right. Cleaned meat is mixed with salt and cooked rice and left fermented in an urn for months.

Pekasam pucuk ubi or Preserved Tapioca (Cassava) Leaves, Pucuk ubi Bidayuh-style, which is also known as Daun Bandung, is stir-fried pounded tapioca shoots and leaves in which red onions are used to enhance the flavor. This is bidayuh style to cook tapioca leaves with pork. Lemongrass, fermented durian, shallot, garlic, tapioca young shoot and turmeric’s leaf are needed in this dish. They will squeeze tapioca shoot roughly before start cooking. Then pork will be cooked with those ingredients. This food is best served while it is hot.

Ensabi is a kind of Sarawakese mustard that tastes bitter. In Sarawak it is also known as Ensabi Iban or Ensabi Dayak as it is the vegetable and food origin of the Iban community. Today, Ensabi is not just a vegetable and a side dish enjoyed by the Iban community, Ensabi goreng is also a favorite dish of all the people in Sarawak.

Pekasam Daging

Pekasam Daun Ubi

Pekasam Ensabi

Pekasam |Ikan

Lastly, the success and final outcome of this project required a lot of discussion we do for this project. We also get much information about these fabulous of Kuching’s food that we choose. These foods are really tasty and many people to like to taste .As well, as we happy successfully we complete our project with much information of those delicious and fabulous foods.